News

American Musicological Society interview reflecting on American musicology featuring Simon Morrison, the noted Prokofiev specialist, reflecting on his recent work in Russia toward a history of the Bolshoi. He is interviewed by Peter Schmelz.

A new writing contest for Princeton students dedicated to the memory of Vera Sharpe Kohn

Princeton University Concerts (“PUC”) is pleased to announce the Creative Reactions Contest - a writing contest fostering reflection on the impact of hearing classical music, as perceived by students on Princeton’s campus. One prize (and up to three possible honorable mentions) will be awarded to a Princeton student who best captures in words his

Sō Percussion, the ensemble that joined the Princeton University community this year as the Edward T. Cone Performers-in-Residence, is not your typical musical group. According to its musicians, a percussionist is not limited to playing the drums, the bells or even whistles. Instead, this group focuses on nontraditional ways to create sound, such as grinding pencils in a blender or plugging a Slinky into an amp.

Joseph R. Vizzini MILLSTONE - Joseph R. Vizzini died in his home early in the morning on Nov. 25, 2014. Joseph was born in Trenton, NJ, on Jan. 16, 1939, and resided in Millstone, NJ. A well-known and respected piano technician in the Central New Jersey and Bucks County, PA, areas since 1978, he retired from the Princeton University Music Department in July 2014 after 34 years.

On November 23, 2014 Aryeh Nussabum-Cohen '15, countertenor, made his debut singing the role of Timante in Gluck's Demofonte at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
Here are some sections of reviews of the production translated from thier German sources:
“… And simply sensational was the debut of the young New Yorker Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen in the primo uomo role of Timante (a role that was sung by Giovanni Carestini in its premiere).... what he has to offer

William Scheide, a member of the Class of 1936, musician, bibliophile and philanthropist committed to furthering the depth and breadth of the arts and humanities at Princeton University, died of natural causes at his home in Princeton, New Jersey, on Nov. 14. He was 100.

"Bill Scheide was a wise and compassionate gentleman whose generosity greatly benefited Princeton and our society as a whole," said President Christopher L. Eisgruber. "Bill established a lasting legacy at

Noriko Manabe has won the Waterman Prize for best article from the Popular Music Section of the Society for Ethnomusicology for the article, Music in Japanese Antinuclear Demonstrations: The Evolution of a Contentious Performance Model. The article describes the evolution of music in demonstrations from a presentational style (cf. Turino) of performing prepared pieces to a participatory style of improvisatory calls and responses between performers and protesters. It relates this evolution of per

Professor Scott Burnham receives Otto Kinkeldey Award for his book Mozart's Grace at the 2014 American Musicological Society Meeting in Milwaukee.
The Otto Kinkeldey Award will honor each year a musicological book of exceptional merit published during the previous year (2014) in any language and in any country by a scholar who is past the early stages of his or her career and who is a member of the AMS or a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or the United States.

Musical America has announced Peter Sellars as its 2015 Artist of the Year, breaking with the venerable organization's longtime Musician of the Year accolade to honor, for the first time, a stage director.
Sellars is best known for his work in opera, first coming into focus in the early 1990s with his then-revolutionary updates of the Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy, continuing through his collaborations with John Adams on Nixon in China and Dr. Atomic, among others, and on to his singular int